Electric heater



yaztented Dec. 2, 1924'.

'nun-"su stares i rari-:Nr Vorties. i

Winnaar WESLEY rncxs, or SAN francisco, CALIFORNIA.

Ennesimo HEATER..

Application llled July 17,- 1922. Serial No. 575,543.

An object of the invention is to provideI a wall type electric heater which operates to direct all of the heat produced, into the room.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric heater which will produce a more or less uniform temperature throughout the room, instead of concentrating the heat in one particular locality.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric heater which distributes the heat produced, by radiation and by convection.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the present speciication.

, following description, where I shall outline in full, that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration 4in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the ln said drawings l have shown one form of heater embodying my invention, but it is to he understood that l do not limit myself rto such form, since the invention, as set forth in the claims, may be embodied in a plurality of forms.

Referring to .said drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the heat er of my invention installed in a wall.

Fig. 2. is a vertical section of the heater installed in a wall.

rlhe healer of my invention is particularly adapted to he installed in wall or.

floor with the iront plate or grill of the heater substantially jflush with the wall or floor. The grill serves as a guard, to prevent Contact with the heating elements and preferablyv7 acts .as a support for the other elements of the heater. The heat produced by the passage of current through the heating elements is directed into the room by radiation, both direct and reflected, andby convection. provision heing made for circulating air around and through the heater.

The heat establishes a draft which causes a large amount of air to circulate through and around the heater and this large amount of air, directed into the room, quickly and uniformly raises the temperature of the room. The circulating air also acts as a heat insuJ lator, to prevent those parts of the heater which are disposed adjacent or in contact with the woodwork of the wall, from reaching a dangerous or objectionable temperature.

The heater comprises a metal grill plate l2 which sets against and covers an opening in the wall 3, the opening being preferably formed adjacent the floor 4:. Secured to and mounted on the grill is a reflector or inner shell 'having side walls 6 and a bottom wall 7, the reflector being preferably curved forward toward its upper edge. The reflector is of lesser area than the grill, the bottom, top and side walls thereof being spaced from the corresponding edges of the grill, to provide an area of grill opening all around the reflector. This area is preferably larger at the bottom of lthe reflector than at the top,

Afor reasons which will hereinafter appear.

Arranged infront of the reflector and behind the grill` and preferably on thebottom 7 of the reflector are one or more electric heating elements 8. These elements preferably comprise hollow, vertically disposed, refractory cores 9 on which the resistance wire is arranged, in the present construction, a helix of resistance wire being arranged spirally on the core, which is provided with spiral ridges to separate the va-v rious convolutions of the spiral. One continuous wire is preferably employed as the resistance element, this wire passing upward 4in one spiral groove, downward in the adjacent groove and so on, the terminals being arranged below the bottom 7. The service wires are attachedto the terminals.

The bottom wall 7 of the retlector is provided with an aperture registering with the passage through the hollow core 9, so 'that when the core is heated, air is circulated therethrough. The air passes through the grill helow the loottom wall 7, up through the hollow cores and is deected back into the room by the curved upper portion of the reflector.

The reflector 5, being in close relation to the heating elements, becomes very hot, so that it is objectionahle and dangerous to permit it to come into contact with any inammahle material.. 'in accordance with my,

. invention, I prevent contact of the reflector with \any'portion of the building and at the same time conve the heat from the reflector into the room, convection. Secured to the rear side of e grill adjacent its ed is a back plate or outer shell 12,1having si es 13 and a bottom 14. The back plate encloses and is spaced from the reflector forming an air chamber all around the reflector. As the reflector becomes heated, a draft is established in this "air space and air flows in through the grill below the reflector, passes up through the air space and thence out through the grill into the room. Since the air entering the lower part of the grill passes up through the-hollow heating elements and up through the air space, the air intake area is preferably larger than the air outlet space between the top of the reflector and the top of the back plate. A large volume of air passes through the space behind the reflector and into the room, thus keeping the back plate cool and causing the discharge into t e room of a large amount of warm air which quickly and uniformly heats the room.

I claim:

l. An Aelectric heater comprising an inner shell of heat conducting material having a back wall and a forwardly inclined top Wall, an electric heating element disposed in front of the back wall and below the tof wall, an outer shell surrounding and space from the back and topI walls of the inner shell, the to-p wall of the outer shell being forwardly inclined, the inner and outer shells forming a vertically disposed air flue, through which a substantial current of'air is induced to y tion of the flue being confined between forwardly inclined walls so that the heated air flows without rest and without interference through the flue.;

2. An electric heater comprising an inner shell, havin an aperture in its bottom, a hollow electriceating element arranged on said bottom in re istry with said aperture and through whic air passes, and an outer shell surrounding and spaced in back of the inner shell, forming, with the inner shell, an air passage open at the top and bottom throu h which a current of air is induced by heat fgrom the inner shell.

3. An electric heater comprising a grill, an open faced outer shell arranged behind the grill the back wall of the shell being curved forward to the grill'at its upper end to guide heated air through the grill, the area of the Open face of the shell being substantially co-extensive with the area of the grill, an open faced inner shell of heat .conducting material arranged behind the grill and within the outer shell, the back, and top walls of the inner shell being spaced from the corresponding walls of the outer shell to form aflue for the passage of air behind the inner shell and' an electric heating element arranged within the inner shell;

4. An electric heater com rising a grill, an outer shell secured to and disposed behind the grill and forming with the grill a closed chamber opening through the grill the back wall of the shell being formed at its top portion in a smooth curve extending forward to the grill to direct heated air through the grill, an open faced inner shell of heat conducting material sup orted by and disposed behind the grill and orming with the chamber of which the grill forms the front wall, the back, and side walls of the inner shell being spaced from the corresponding walls of the outer shell whereby a passage is formed through which a draught of air is induced by heat from the inner shell, and

anelectric heating element aranged in the inner shell.

5. An electric heater adapted to set into an aperture in the wall, comprising a grill adapted to lie against the wall and close the said aperture, an inner shell disposed be hind said grill, the front edges of the inner shell engaging the rill at points spaced from the edges of t e grill whereby grill openings occur between the edge of the shell and the edge of the grill, an electric heating element arranged in the inner shell and an outer shell surrounding and spaced from the inner shell and engaging said grill, said outer shell being of less size than said aperture, so that it is out of contact with the Surfaces thereof and the back wall of said outer shell being inclined forwardly at the top, to the grill, to form a smooth channel for the passage ofair through the space between the shell and to space the upper portion of the back wall from the top surface of the aperture.

6. An electric heater comprising a grill, an outer shell `engaging the grill adjacent its edges and .extending backward from the grill and forming a chamber behind the grill, an inner shell engaging the grill arranged within said chamber and spaced from the back plate a greater distance at the bottom than at the top, the bottom of the inner shell being provided with an aperture and a hollow heating element arranged on said bottom and registering with said aperture. 7. An electric heater comprising a grill, an outer shell disposed behind the grill, an inner shell of heat conducting material disposed behind the grill and spaced from the outer shell so that an air passage is formed between the two shells, an electric heating element arranged in theinner shell, heat from said element serving tov heat the inner shell and thus cause a draught through said passage whereby a large proportion of' the yfaced inner shell having an aperture in the bottom thereof, a hollow electric heating element disposed in said shell and registering with said aperture so that when the element` is hot a draft of air passes through the hollow element and an open faced outer shell surrounding and spaced from the inner shell and forming therewith an air passage through which a draft of air passes when the inner shell is heated by the heating element.

9. An electric heater comprising a vertically disposed hollow heating element, a base on which said element is mounted, the base being provided with an aperture registering with the passage in the hollow heating element, a. plate behind said heating element and a back plate spaced from said plate at the top and bottom to permit the flow of air through the space between the plate and the back plate.

l0. An electric heater comprising a vertically disposed lue of refractory material, a heating coil mounted on said flue, the heat developed in the coil serving to induce a draft through said flue, a plate arranged behind said flue and a back plate forming with the said plate, an air chamber open at the top and bottom to permit the circulation of air therethrough.

11. An electric heater comprising a grill,

i a shell mounted on said grill anda vertically disposed heating element having an air pas-v sage therethrough through which a' -draft of air is induced b the heat of the heating element, arrange shell.v

12. An electric heater com rising a grill, a plate arranged behind sai grill, a vertically disposedflue of refractory material arranged between the plate and the grill, and a heating coil arranged on said flue, the heat between the grill `and thev produced in thc coil serving to cause through the flue.

13. An electric heater comprising an open faced inner shell, a vertically disposed hollow heating element in said shell through which a draft of air is induced by the heat generated in the heating element and an open faced outer shell surrounding and spaced from the inner shell and forming therewith a vertical passage through which a draft of air is induced by an increase in temperature of the inner shell by heat derived from the heating element.

14. An electric heater comprising a grill, a shell arranged behind said grill, a plate in said shell lforming a substantially vertical a draft 4passage with the back wall of the shell, a flue arranged between the plate and the grill and Ia heating element on the flue, the heat produced in the heating element serving to cause a draught of air through the Hue and through vthe passage.

15. An electric heater comprising a vertically disposed flue, a heating element on said flue, the heat developed in the element serving to induce a draught through the flue, a plate .arranged behind the flue anda back plate forming with said plate an air chamber open at the top and bottom to 'i permit the circulation of air therethrough. 16. An electric heater comprising a grill, a vertically disposed line arranged behind the grill, a heating element associated with said flue, the heat produced in the element serving to cause a draught through said flue, and a back flue spaced from and extending over the top of said first flue.

17. An electric heater comprisinga vertically disposed flue, a heating element arranged so that the heat developed therein will cause a draught of air upwardly through the flue anda second flue arranged behind said flue and through which a draught of air is induced by heat derived from the heating element.

- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. WILLIAM IVESLEY HICKS. 

